The present invention relates to an ambulatory exercise machine and an ambulatory exercise system with which a person can experience false walking, and in particular to an ambulatory exercise machine or an ambulatory exercise system which enables the walking function of an old-aged person or a person whose walking function is wound by a disease, an accident or the like.
Related Art
These years, the number of bedridden persons increases more and more since the number of old-aged person who remarkably lose strength in their legs increases. Further, there are many persons whose walking functions are wound by diseases or accidents. It is very important for these persons to carry out recovery exercise for their walking functions.
Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model No.2-1131 discloses a training tool for walking, in which a trainee moves back and forth by walking while his hands grips two hand rails which are laid on his both sides in parallel with each other in order to perform ambulatory exercise. It is noted that this document discloses several parallel rods for assisting a trainee in walking, which are crossing one another, and parallel rods and a walking path which have concavities and convexities.
Further, Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. 8-141026 discloses a training device comprising a pair of left and right looped belts exhibiting as a waking path surface for a trainee, and gripping means for supporting the body of the trainee. The gripping means in this training device is extended through the arm's pits of the trainee so as to laterally and vertically hold the trainee, and further belts attached to the gripping means and adapted to be worn around the hip part and leg parts of the trainee vertically supports the trainee.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. 8-141027 discloses an ambulatory exercise device for a trainee who requires maintaining or recovering his walking function. This ambulatory exercise device comprises walking path means having a looped belt exhibiting a walking path surface for the trainee, means for controlling the running speed of the looped belt, means for setting a loading characteristic of the walking path means, means for detecting a running speed of the looped belt, and means for computing a control rule for the walking path means, from the loading characteristic and the walking speed.
This document discloses an equivalent mass, an equivalent damping coefficient or an equivalent spring constant as the loading characteristic of the walking path means, and a formula for computing a drive force of the walking means from the above-mentioned loading characteristic as the control rule, a resistance force owned by a drive mechanism for the walking path surface and a displacement of the looped belt. Further, it discloses a control device for controlling the drive force of the walking path means, that is, the walking path surface in accordance with the above-mentioned control rule.
Further, the document discloses that the above-mentioned device realize a passive ambulatory exercise machine with which a trainee can exercise in accordance with a force for kicking the walking path surface.
However, the ambulatory exercise using the parallel rods as mentioned above, cannot freely adjust or select a load burdened upon a trainee. That is, the trainee has to require to hold the parallel rods or to be assisted by an assistant in order to support his body without depending upon his leg power. In this case, it is impossible for the trainee to perform an exercise while he always and stably receives a suitable load or an assisting force, in accordance with a leg power, a physical strength, a physical condition, a degree of recovery or the like. Further, it is difficult for the trainee to freely perform ambulatory exercise using the upper part of his body in such a way that the trainee swings his arms, or twists his waist since the trainee has to hold the parallel rods.
Meanwhile, the training device disclosed in the Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. 8-141026, can control the looped belt and the gripping means so as to control a load burdened upon a trainee in order to cope with the above-mentioned problem caused by holding the parallel rod. However, it is not sufficiently contemplated to use this training device for ambulatory exercise in which the upper part of the body of the trainee is used. Further, the device disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. 8-141027 is not sufficiently contemplated for a trainee whose one of legs remarkably lower its strength in comparison with the other one and who performs ambulatory exercise. It is preferable to carry out such an exercise that his both legs are used, independent from each other, only one of legs being trained in one training cycle, without both legs being trained in one training cycle in such a case that the trainee has a relatively large difference between his both leg strengths of the trainee, or he is seriously wound in his leg function. In this case, the above-mentioned conventional technology possibly offers such a problem that the two left and right belts which are provided for both legs of the trainee are driven in accordance with a detected force which is applied unconsciously thereto by the trainee.